The first 700 of an expected 4,500 eligible inmates have been released early from prisons across England and Wales under new rules aimed at reducing overcrowding. Some of those freed thanked Andy Burnham as they left.
Releases Across Multiple Prisons
Prisoners were seen celebrating as they left HMP Birmingham, HMP Forest Bank in Salford, HMP Leeds, HMP Wandsworth and HMP Wormwood Scrubs in London, HMP Durham and HMP Bristol. One prisoner, holding his belongings in a bin bag, told reporters: "Justice system, what justice system? Thank you Andy Burnham." He was released from HMP Durham, north-east England.
A man leaving HMP Cardiff, when asked if he had a message for the Prime Minister, said: "Thank you very much and don't get me back here again, bro." A prisoner called Dean who emerged from HMP Forest Bank said he was "buzzing" to be out early, despite only having another week or so to serve. He told the Press Association: "There's big people in there, they've got, like, years off."
Monitoring and Opposition
The Government has stressed the criminals will be strictly monitored while on license, including an expanded electronic tagging system. However, victims have strongly opposed the plan, with domestic violence survivors fearing for their safety. London Victims' Commissioner Andrea Simon said this is a "genuinely terrifying prospect for their victims".
The Government said the action was needed to prevent prisons from becoming full. Ministry of Justice data showed prison population levels were frighteningly close to capacity on Monday, up to 98.2%, with 87,499 people incarcerated.
Necessity and Future Releases
Catherine Atkinson, Labour MP for Derby North and chairwoman of the Commons Justice Committee, said the releases were "regretfully a matter of necessity after more than a decade of policy failure to manage the estate's long-running capacity issues". Thursday's release is the first of 10 scheduled to take place, with prisoners who served sentences of up to 19 months. The final release is pinned for June 2027.
The safety of victims and the public "must be paramount", said Ms Atkinson. She added: "Serious questions remain over the pressures on probation and prison staff, the effectiveness of electronic monitoring, as well as the system's readiness to manage the return of offenders back into communities in the coming months."
